The decking is complete!
The construction Dream Team trudged forward on Steve’s days off that were not rainy or freezing, and they did it! The 16x16 platform will be perfect for the kids’ 8x14 pergola. It makes a nice extension of their outdoor space, and I’m sure Montana will have fun landscaping around it. She already has a pallet of flagstone ready for that part of the project.
My favorite part of the design is the mitered edging boards. I don’t remember having that detail on the (many) prior decks Steve has constructed, and it is a nice touch.
The Trex decking we used was really neat, because it had grooved sides with plastic fasteners that fit into the grooves and tighten down to secure the decking without showing screw holes. Very nifty!
The very last horizontal board was a little stressful, as its width needed to be cut down about 2 inches to fit in the remaining gap. As you know, with a 16’ board, that is not a job that can be reasonably done with a circular saw. So for that task we had to break out the table saw, a special gift which belonged to my colleague Craig’s father.
This was primarily a father-daughter project, which was fun to watch. Elijah tagged in, and having a 3-man crew at times was a HUGE help.
The pergola assembly is in their court now!
Steve Keig signature solid construction design.
This special black tape is applied on top of all of the joists to prevent moisture build-up and damage.
The mitered trim boards are put in place first.
And now comes the Trex decking.
The 3-man crew knocking them out.
Very helpful Baby Cat loves the new deck (above and below it).
Final day - Getting close!
This handy device (affectionately called “The Squeezer”) uses leverage on the joist to push the boards fully into place. A real lifesaver for 16’ boards.
This is the grooved design of the Trex decking.
Little plastic spacer connecters get the job done. Trex knows what they are doing when it comes to decks!
Uh oh - after a valient attempt with the circular saw, it was time to break out the old table saw to cut the width of the last 16’ board. Luckily we had a few extra to experiment on!
Semi-floppy 16’ boards are no joke.
Clean up on Aisle 4.
They removed the mitered edge board and snuck the narrow-cut board right in there - perfect fit!
One happy crew! And they should be - it’s the perfect foundation for their little sitting area/pergola. Bring on the party lights!
It’s amazing how much the ground slants here - it really didn’t look like it when we were planning this project. The pergola will be along the side away from the house, and there will be a flagstone path from the decking to their patio.
Ahhhhhhh!
Just the three of them, pretty cute.
Okay, one last shot of the nice, even edge cuts!
And okay, one more shot of the nice, mitered corners!
